On the morning of the 27th of February I was, in pursuance of this plan of operations, lifted on my horse, and we moved on in a south-west direction, across sandy plains covered with scrub and a species of stringy-bark; but on travelling for about a mile and a half the character of the country became more rocky and difficult.  After moving down a slight descent, we came to a rapid stream, the same one on the banks of which I had heard the natives’ calls on the day I was wounded; the banks afforded good food for the horses and trees which offered some shelter to the men from the burning heat of the sun.  I determined therefore to halt here for breakfast; indeed the horses were so completely knocked up that they were incapable of travelling any further.  We had already been compelled to abandon one of them in a dying state since we had started in the morning.

We halted for about an hour and a half and then recommenced our journey, but were unfortunate enough to miss the marked trees, and therefore wandered a good deal in our attempts to find the right track.  Whilst thus roaming in the wood we passed two spots about one hundred yards distant from each other, which I imagined to be native burying-places:  they consisted of piles of small loose stones so heaped together as to form a large mound; these mounds were placed on flat bare rocks, one of them, the smaller, had been recently made, the other was larger and much older, for it was partly overgrown with plants.

View from the sandstone range.

About 2 P.M. we reached the extremity of the sandstone ridges and a magnificent view burst upon us.  From the summit of the hills on which we stood an almost precipitous descent led into a fertile plain below; and from this part, away to the southward, for thirty to forty miles, stretched a low luxuriant country, broken by conical peaks and rounded hills which were richly grassed to their very summits.  The plains and hills were both thinly wooded, and curving lines of shady trees marked out the courses of numerous streams.  Since I have visited this spot I have traversed large portions of Australia but have seen no land, no scenery to equal it.  We were upon the confines of a great volcanic district, clothed with tropical vegetation, to which the Isle of France bears a greater resemblance than any other portion of the world which I am acquainted with.  The rocks in both places are identical; many of the trees are also the same; and there are several other close and striking points of similarity.

Descent from the sandstone range into the low country.

The descent into the lowlands, being very difficult, occupied us nearly two hours; we then gained the bed of a ravine, in which ran a clear stream:  the ravine gradually widening out as we reached the plains.  I proceeded directly down it in the direction of a lofty peaked hill which bore to the westward of south; and, having gained a shoulder of this hill, we halted for the night.